Local scientist to address House of Commons committee

A Bermuda-based scientist is set address a select committee of the House of Commons tonight on the subject of ocean acidification.

Nick Bates, Director of Research at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, will speak to the Science and Technology Committee — who have launched an inquiry on ocean acidification — and present oral evidence on the importance of continued research on the environmental threat.

“Hopefully the inquiry will identify this environmental issue is of importance to the UK and that is will fund future research on ocean acidification,” he said. “It is great to be able to highlight to importance of scientific research and ocean monitoring of ocean acidification is Bermuda to the UK government.

“The UK does not at present support the long term monitoring of ocean acidification and ocean chemistry changes in its UK Overseas Territories territorial waters whose Exclusive Economic Zone marine waters constitute an area eight times that of UK mainland waters. So there is a major gap in knowledge, and also hampers economic development and environmental protection of the UKOTs.”